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Lord Bonezy Asks, Why not Stop Blaming all of AOC problems on Launch?
LordBonezy
Member Posts: 254
Nothing sucked harder since the fall of Rome than the Age of Conan Launch and trailing 6 months from that day. The decline was decisive, steep, relentless, and one which AOC nor Funcom has recovered. The past is the past however. Recently and right now, there were and are free trials, free trials which launched 15+ months from that launch, when all this polish, new content, and improvement had made its way into the gamem DX10 beta, yay!, Stable performance, new playfields, and all the rest, at which point the game supposedly carries the same value for players as they are charging, well its here.
What drives me nuts is these folks saying that the game suffered a bad launch and that is the main reason it struggles today.
That is simply not the case, the fact is the free trials were not successful isn't because the launch was awful, it is because the game mechanics are not balanced, areas of the game are not functional, the overall design is not clean, things which should be easy are not, areas which should be deep and have addictive qualities to them, are simply not very deep. So what we have in AOC is a game where the mechanics are imbalanced, major components of the game are broken or inaccessible to players, a design which is not clean, i.e. clumsy. and not slick and a game which makes it artificially difficult for players to succeed while at the same time allowing other players easy victory. The gameplay which in certain aspects is fun, and addictive, quickly changes because of the extremes of the PVP and PVE expriences. Where there is an over concentration of PVP in the starter areas and a total bordeom on the PVE servers the appeal of the game is limited.
Fundamentally the game is not addictive overtime, because it suffers a lack of depth, serious imbalances which render progress less than satisfying, and the critical design flaws and implementation flaws which plagues the game never seem to be rectified by patches, which seem to come too far between, too long in the execution , and with their own issues as a result of being in the oven too long.
Discuss....
Comments
The launch was actually fairly smooth. No server crashes, login queues or buggy quests (unlike WoW's launch). They started up more servers the first week, showing they were prepared "just in case" to handle higher demand.
Part of the initial problem was hype. Some of it Funcom's fault and some of it ours. They posted a video about pvp siege combat. Problem is to siege anything you need to capture a border keep. Before you can capture a border keep you need a tier 3 guild keep, which requires you build a tier 1 and tier 2 guild keep 1st. THAT required someone level 40+ who took up the architect profession. Well you see where I am getting at. I think some people got spoiled by games like WoW where you capture something simply by clickng on a flag or killing 1 npc. Doesn't work that way in this game.
Early on the game also had a memory leak. It was mildly annoying, I did have to restart the game every 30-40 mins. They did fix it not long after but by the the first impressions people had were negative.
Upon leaving Tortage, which I think is one of the best starter areas in any MMO, most of the voice overs disappear. That also probably contributed to people leaving. I personally don't care about it really, added sound files for every npc in the game would probably add another 10gig to game's size.
Combat system is very fun, class balancing continuing, more content being added, etc. I'd say Funcom doing a good job of not only fixing the initial problems, that every MMO has at its start, but added free content as well.
I agree with Lordwhatever, let's stop blaming the launch.
Let's say things like they really are...........AoC is just boring.
Since Funcom were marketing "steaks" lets look at it from that perspective...
A lot of people showed up at Funcoms restaurant on opening day with great expectations.
Opening day was not a failure because the kitchen did not burn down. There were some customers who left angry because their tables or chairs collapsed but most actually got served.
The problem was, that the dishes actually served, were not anything like what the restaurant presented on their menu. When some of the guests started to express their dissatisfaction a few waiters just left the restaurant, while some of the others tried to do their best to silence the obnoxious clients.
A few days later the head waiter was giving an interview, explaining how brilliant and fireproof the kitchen was and that the problems with collapsing tables were caused by the guests themselves.
In the end the biggest problem was that most of the customers were not too impressed with the food. It might be edible but when they were served mashed potatoes instead of the steak they ordered from the menu...
Shortly after opening day most of the premiere guests just settled for the nearby restaurants that actually served what was on their menu.
Funcoms restaurant is still in business but they only light the candles at the tables by the window. They still have some loyal customers who praise their "haute-cuisine" mash.
The management have worked hard to establish the restaurant. They fired the original head of potatomashing and hired a new one. They even sent out invitations to anyone who ever visited their restaurant.
In the end the biggest problem for Funcom's restaurant is that no matter how "amazing" their mashed potatoes are, most guests prefer steaks or at least a balanced meal.
(Currently Funcom is working on an expanded potatomash buffet - That will probably bring back a lot of the original clients...)
We dont need casuals in our games!!! Errm... Well we DO need casuals to fund and populate our games - But the games should be all about "hardcore" because: We dont need casuals in our games!!!
(repeat ad infinitum)
LordBonezy, is there anything about the game that you like? You previously said that you played the game for 5 months, so it can't be all that bad. If you hated it in the beginning and you hate it now, perhaps there was a period in between that you enjoyed the game?
I agree we should no longer blame the launch over a year later but look at AoC in the present form, it has great graphics ... and great graphics .... hmm let me think. Tortage is great, but it is not a real MMORPG experience in my opinion more like a really good CORPG or a singleplayer with multiplayer instances. Which is still fun but I did purchase and was paying a monthly fee to play an MMORPG, not Guild Wars in a Conan setting.
After a many patches, a few being wonder patches, has the game really improved? Are all those bugs fixed that were there at launch? FC worked hard on making new patches and putting them out ASAP, and did fix many things, however I don't personally feel satisfied. I feel that they just didn't do what needed to be done and fell short of the mark everytime, spending far too long on balancing professions when there were so many issues forgotten such as crafting, siege warfare, drunken brawling ect.
In all I wouldn't say AoC is bad at all, but it comes of as feeling no more than mediocre. This is why I got bored and frustrated, it was/is just so mediocre that you can always find something better. Added to that it is instanced so heavily it's like playing a CORPG and is eternally frustrating trying to find guild members even with ventrillo and they're looking for you!
However the launch has to take a large responsibility for AoCs other big demon, lack of playerbase. With no one to play with any MMORPG or CORPG is pointless, it turns into and expensive and crappy single player RPG. The launch was technically OK, but not great due to memory leaks and crashes and disabled vendors ect. The big launch problem was in the fact that Funcom hyped certain features for a long time, then days/weeks before the launch when many of us had preordered they retracted most of those promises ... very quitely. Some I knew about, some I didn't and I was not a happy chappy when I finally discovered that pretty much all of those unique features were absent (and still are). Combat became a button mash fest that made my fingers ache after a while (I played for long stretches though) and resulted in being just another mediocre and repetative aspect of AoC ... a turn off.
The reason many like myself won't return is that nothing has been done to rectify these issues that made us leave shortly after launch. Why would I return? No drunken brawling, no blood money, no real PvP system (the present one is mediocre and flawed, horribly!), still instanced to death, Sieges are still exploit fests that cannot even be viewed by others ect. And FC have the brass neck to be making a ****ing expansion for the game? Will that have the promised features in it? Do they have the cheek to charge me for a second box to maybe get what I paid for 2 years ago? This is just a slap in the face to gamers like myself, I'll pay a fair price for the product advertised but that's not what happened. FC had the cheek to blame me for a mediocre release and now want to lure me back to buy a mediocre expansion?
When someone says Funcom I think Mediocre, now that they're putting their effort into a third MMORPG (Jesus wept!) perhaps they can avoid a third shambolic attempt at an MMORPG and not have to blame me for their mediocre attempt at entertaining me?
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
Is this thread another joke thread, or is this your actual opinion LB? Quite hard to know if you are being serious anymore
If you are for real this time:
All of your ramblings above is your opinion, which you conveniently pass off as fact. In YOUR opinion the game is unbalanced, broken, boring etc, but that is not the opinion of all, least of all the current playerbase. The "problem" launch is mostly hyperbole, it was no worse than most other launches.
The real problem of the launch was the players expecting (built up by hype, from Funcom and gamers) something completely new, fantastic in all ways, game-changing, level-raising, an exceptional and orgasmafabulous jewel which would shine as the WoW killer for years. Short story, their hopes and dreams were crushed as Funcom produced nothing more than a game, and today they here moaning.
Oh, and when the next big thing comes and dashes their hope anew, they'll move their moaning there. Unless their hope for humanity is crushed so deeply they start playing with razor blades. See you in a year's time on the SW:TOR forums!
the problem was not the launch..the problem is the whole game...aoc just sucks really bad...even the graphics..because they are so heavy..the zones are small and have loading screens...
Bonezyboy - your logic is again that of a 3 year old.
The trials - to trials and winbacks is inherent that most of people will not like the game they once tried. THey moved on and the game, in its core, is still the same. To all kids and granddads melee system with fast moving and killing still sucks - its like playing hockey without being able to skate well. It will suck. They will try it and put the box back in the closet surprised game mechanics are still the same.
And not to mention all the kids out there who's mentality is - this game is good but FUCK THEM: THEY LIED TO ME. Like they didn't get lied to buy the cereals he had for breakfast. And most don't even try it.
And for others there is this huge lack of content (which is more or less a consequence to a bad launch ... the development team for initial 1m is quite different than that of todays aprox -100k). People cannot have fun in MMO anymore simply killing everything it moves (like CSS) but there has to be rewards, better equipment etc behind it - pvp and pve became a HUGE grind for gear in every game you look at. After all - we are not playing it to enjoy but to LOOT. WoWization of genre at its purest. Grind used to be fun in first mmos, now it is the worst thing it can happen to mmo.
And the loot is another problem of AoC - not enough loot, not
So yes, most of the problems today are either directly or indirectly connected to a bad launch.
^ QFT
AoC is shaping up to be quite a fantastic game. I've recently picked this game back up after waiting a year and they have made several improvements to the game. Lots more content - never once was my quest log empty - many times I actually had to delete quests to make room for newer ones. I've also had no problems getting a group together for any instance. And, since the population is alot smaller - the community is alot nicer and filld with less retards (and less retards in game is always better). The combat system is way more interesting and involved than the typical "click ability, auto-attack" style most games use. I also enjoy the more adult flavored content.
There are definitely flaws. But no more than any other game currently out there. Its not going to be a game for everyone. Some will love it, some will hate it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It also doesn't mean AoC is gonna "fail". Obviously its still here - a year after the doomsayers said it would die. And more an more people are subbing to it. I've seen an influx of alot of new people.
Overall, I find Age of Conan to be something new and refreshing. But that is my opinion. And that does not suggest that anyone else will feel the same. Simply play what you like - move on from what you don't like. Pleanty of competition out there - find something you like and enjoy.
Just like to point out that people who don't want to try Aoc again because of the launch are cutting off their nose to spite their face.
They are naive, ignorant, must be new to the MMO genre and unfoc missing out on what is now a great game that is progressing well under the new Game Director. In fact out of all the recently released MMOs it is doing quite well far better than WAR imho.
Not saying it is a perfect game or that it will be to everyone's liking but when you hear people say they don't want to try it cos they got burnt at launch you just have to wonder at the sanity of such decisions.
Pocahinha,
The problem is not the game itself. Aye, I suppose AoC favors more heavily on actual "gaming systems".
However, if you are playing MMOs, you should at least have a mid/high end GPU, 4-6 Gigs of RAM and a HD in RAID format. I assure you, if you do, AoC (and any other mmo) will run awesome and you will experience absolutely no load time.
AoC runs flawlessly, I assure you, if you run it on a true gaming system. If you run it on a PC bought from Walmart, well, then you might think differently. Upgrade your PC.
As someone that beta'ed the game in both closed and open, was in Early Access, and quit within two months of launch, I think there are several unmentioned points here. I loved the game, and how it played, and how it looked. However, they botched things, plain and simple. The memory leaks were pretty bad, and I think anyone around in beta and launch remembers the dreaded grey map. Especially for someone that had a low-mid range rig, it was VERY annoying, because loading back in could take 4-5 mins back then, and if you crashed while fighting... Yeah. No fun. It is excusable in the beginning, but after 10-20 times, it becomes a major annoyance. I, however, was WELL used to it from beta, and shrugged it off. But a lot of people were pissed about it.
Next, we have the bank problems. To make matters worse, the NPCs controlled not just the bank, but the AH and mail system too! They worked fine all through beta. Never a problem. And then Early Access hits, and they don't work? Pretty crappy. So, you get loaded down with stuff, or, god forbit, you were actually out gathering materials, and you now have a full inventory. Nothing you can do about it. You cant even mail off the stuff to an alt... You either need a friend you trust, or a second account. But that was just the start. Once you hit 38ish, and the gems started dropping.. Forget about it. They dropped like crazy, and they didnt stack for some reason. Even worse, they were not going into your resource bag, they went into your regular loot bag! And, even worse again, you had no idea what they would sell for, so you wanted to keep them all, but at the same time, you wanted make room! So annoying.
THEN, FINALLY, they fixed the bank NPCs. People floked to the AH, flooded it with gems so that they could clear out their inventory, and they were worth nothing! ALL that time taking up space, and they were worth crap because so many people were selling them.
Not to mention half the feats didn't work, or didnt work as advertized, and several skills were crap. Then the nerf bat started swinging, and the readjustments came... Within the first few weeks of launch... No better way to piss off a large group of people. And the PvP? Not too much of it, and it usually didn't work out too well. And that was the battlegrounds. Seiging was completely impossible due to poor performance. Oh, and the little fact that you could not actually make a tier 2 town until several patches in because one of the plans required things you could not get... But, once they finally DID fix it, even people with VERY nice computers had to put the settings to low, and STILL have terrible FPS stuttering, memory crashes and all sorts of other problems just to attempt to seige...
Now, dont get me wrong. I loved AoC. But really, if I had not betaed it, and already gotten a feeling for the game, and liked it from that, I would have dropped it even faster than I did.
I disagree with the OP's argument ,the past and launch are HUGE factors.The points the OP are pointing to,imo are not valid either,there is not much different in AOC than any other game from dungeon design,to killing,to hotbars,there really is little difference.The graphics are better,that is a difference.
The fact is to keep gamers interested,they seem to be attracted to VERY superficial trinkets like mounts/pets/gear.Constantly give them something to want.
The difference between a large following and a game trying to make it big,is the large following has massive website information,tons of apps,it seems players want everything automated/easy mode.so they love their apps.If there is a way to cheat/exploit or a way to RMT buy overpowering items/gear,again they latch onto this.
None of it makes sense,but this is the true face of gamers,teenagers with simplistic minds and full of ego and drama.Design and content has come across as a very weak carrot for these teenie boppers to follow.What i am saying is that no matter how hard AOC tries to make a great game,it is the ridiculous things that attracts gamers.Look how many people are all woosey over flying in AIOn or screwing around with that character customization screen for hours then covering it all up with gear...lol duh.
To create success you have to start thinking like a young teenager,you have to watch them game to fully understand the immaturity in their wants/needs,always selfish never common sense attitude.They will always cry nerf,but give them the over powering class,everything is cool.Everyone has a few different wants/needs/expectations from gaming,but i painted the over all big picture,one i believe is quite accurate.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Those are some truly excellent points Wizardry.
I might chime in that the MMO market is rather small and saturated. People switching games are usually more "hard-core" (i.e. play more often and for longer) than the average MMO gamer. I doubt the average MMO player actually plays more than an hour a day on average. Decisions on a new MMO will always lay to ground the average player, but the actual players joining a new MMO will not be the average player. When a new game is launched it is mostly people who play 4-6 hours daily that switch, as they have become bored with the content of their current MMO, and they make a mad dash to the end-game. There seems to be a commoneality between all recent MMO launches that focus is on starter content before launch, and they think "let's add mid-level after launch, and then focus on end-game later".
This pisses the "elite" players off to no end, and the swarm to forums such as these to vent their anger and frustration, which ends up destroying the community and has a domino effect on the population size and mood.
You are completely correct. The average MMO player never even reaches endgame, logging in for 30 minutes - 1hr a day and banging out a couple of quests. This is the market with the deepest pockets. The fact is, the hardcore players who play 4-6 hours a day are generally pretty much the same set of players who are either unemployed or underemployed. They burn through content and bitch on the forums about every possible decision the designers could make. This is not a group you should even try to please.
Now I disagree with Wizardry that it's the young teenagers who want easy mode and cosmetic features. I'm fairly certain it's the late 20s/mid 30s crowd. Life can be hard. Work can be long and annoying. Adults play games to relax and unwind, and therefor the last thing such a person wants is an MMO that even remotely resembles a job or a second life.
The recent population crash and the fsact that AOC lost people instead of gained them after free trials mean this game has issues today.
ATM I Don't think this game is salvagable after it gave a bade taste to many at release and then a year later during free trials so hurry up and enjoy it while you can. Also, it seems Funcom cut their losses....the 34 million dollar loss on AOC, and stopped funding the game as much as it should be.
Funcom has reviewed all of its assets relevant for
impairment testing. This process has led to
recognition of an impairment loss of around
3,1 MUSD for Age of Conan due to a decrease in
numbers of subscribers for the game. Funcom Q4 10 report.
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showpost.php?p=2926123&postcount=7 500 mains/alts on Tyranny in past 30 days - instead of merge servers let's open a new PvP server, again! http://forums-eu.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=106427
Populations are in decline, player subs in reduction, free trials not netting substantial new subscriptions. We don't need to knoe the history or what was wrong with AOC, we need to know what is wrong today, now, i.e. the last few weeks. What is up and what is down? Why is this game not growing rather than dying? Why is the trend consistently downward?
When I had a guild, I enjoyed the subtle and overt roleplay and shit stirring we did on Haunmaun, I also enjoyed PVP night on our PVE server, I enjoyed harvesting, as lame and boring as it is, it allowed me to get to know members from other countries via vent or chat, I enjoyed the exprience of taking down epic bosses in FOTD, I enjoyed the level 20 sewers under Tartania I think it was, and I enjoyed the Conalls Valley, Cimmeria itself was very well done, didn't care for the E mountains or the lack of people playing there everytime I was there. I liked the music, top notch, I enjoyed the sound effects generally, I enjoyed the storylines, and some of the more in depth quests, I enjoyed Tortage the first few times, and the richness of the character exprience in the beginining. I always thought the visuals of AOC were pretty good, not as good as Crysis but very well done. I liked the day/night Tortage setting was done alright. I enjoyed the guild nites we had when we were putting up new building and I was knighting players, but without "real" meaningful objectives the city was just a waste of time and effort and this is coming from a guy who enjoyed harvesting. I also enjoyed the medieval aspect of the game. I really wish that magic was given a much smaller role and more emphasis would have been made on melee and the martial arts of the medieval era.
I think the thing I enjoyed most was after that hour of playing, where the game was pre-cached, finding a rythm and hearing the music blaring and just beating the shit out of virutal monsters. That was about as good as it got for me when I wasn't on the PVP servers. By the time I made it there I was playing out my last days in 2008.
Horseshit Aercus, this launch was outstanding, the biggest in MMO history right? Then what happened, people played, were lied to, found out they were lied to, the game was being patched so fast and they were breaking just as fast as they fixed shit, and after less than 4 months it was beginning to be necessary to merge servers, the game imploded because of bugs, lag, implementations that failed, mechanics that suck donkey balls, and because Funcom is the company that Funcom is. That is opinion.
The facts are pretty clear and well documented. One million copies sold in the first 2-3 months, then 400k subscribers 3 months later, less than half that 6 months later, today less than 75k. We'll find out in 6 days just how much of a loss the game is incurring.
Aercus who was responsible for the hype? Funcom. Who was responsible for not delivering the content? Funcom. Who was responsible for lying about all of that? Funcom. Who was responsible for the shill campaign and bullshit campaign? Funcom. Players hopes and dreams, wtf r u talking about Walter? People who paid $50 for the game, and then paid another $50 in subscription fees only to find out the developers were fucking liars and full of horseshit from the get go were pissed. That is what happens, right or wrong when you wrong customers.
You won't be seeing me in another MMO anytime soon Aercus. Not until this industry cleans up their act.
Well even a 3 year old given peas & carrots and told it was an apple, won't like it when he's 4 if he is again told it is apples and he doesn't like peas and carrots in the first place.
Customers, consumers, players are not stupid for the most part. They simple fact is the trials demonstrated that you can't charge for something you can't get players to stick with for free. My point with the free trials isn't the magnitude with which they were tried out. Of course only 100k players tried the free trials, and 1 million tried the game, but with the ratio of those who tried to those who subscribed. This ratio was only about 1 in 20 or 5% which is about the same ratio of players who are still playing the game after a all this time. I don't see an indirect connection here, I see that players have tried it, be them first time players or returning vets, it doesn't matter in any event because on the whole number there only 5% trying, stuck with AOC.
Actually, they pretty much are. What other explanation would you give for the extremly stupid advertisments all over the internet, newspaper or TV?
If more and more stupidity prevails in the advs, it means more and more stupidity attracts more and more customers.
REALITY CHECK
Actually, they pretty much are. What other explanation would you give for the extremly stupid advertisments all over the internet, newspaper or TV?
If more and more stupidity prevails in the advs, it means more and more stupidity attracts more and more customers.
Well what they want may be stupid, but are consumers stupid in general, that is a ridiclious claim. Of course there are some, but if people were stupid in general, we would not be conversing about this on the interwebs or using electricity we'd be playing this MMO out in the real world and believing in casters and demonogistis for reality instead of fantasy.
Horseshit Aercus, this launch was outstanding, the biggest in MMO history right? Then what happened, people played, were lied to, found out they were lied to, the game was being patched so fast and they were breaking just as fast as they fixed shit, and after less than 4 months it was beginning to be necessary to merge servers, the game imploded because of bugs, lag, implementations that failed, mechanics that suck donkey balls, and because Funcom is the company that Funcom is. That is opinion.
The facts are pretty clear and well documented. One million copies sold in the first 2-3 months, then 400k subscribers 3 months later, less than half that 6 months later, today less than 75k. We'll find out in 6 days just how much of a loss the game is incurring.
Aercus who was responsible for the hype? Funcom. Who was responsible for not delivering the content? Funcom. Who was responsible for lying about all of that? Funcom. Who was responsible for the shill campaign and bullshit campaign? Funcom. Players hopes and dreams, wtf r u talking about Walter? People who paid $50 for the game, and then paid another $50 in subscription fees only to find out the developers were fucking liars and full of horseshit from the get go were pissed. That is what happens, right or wrong when you wrong customers.
You won't be seeing me in another MMO anytime soon Aercus. Not until this industry cleans up their act.
I never said the launch was perfect, I said it was no worse than most other launches. If it was unplayable, how come people were getting to 80 in the first few weeks, and starting to down raid bosses after 6-7 weeks? Yes, Funcom hyped the game, but gamers also hyped the game and imbelished on the information given by Funcom. Yes, Funcom is guilty of building expectations among the players, and not fulfilling them completely. It's called advertisement, and all companies are then guilty of "lying" to some extent. As previously said, Axe bodyspray won't get you laid and Gilette Razors won't make you a good golfer even though they portray this in their ads. If you are unable to look through ad gimmics you are not a very educated or experienced consumer.
But it's just a game, and if that is something that get you so psyched that you whine about the launch after 1.5 years, you have larger problems than AoC...
Actually, they pretty much are. What other explanation would you give for the extremly stupid advertisments all over the internet, newspaper or TV?
If more and more stupidity prevails in the advs, it means more and more stupidity attracts more and more customers.
Well what they want may be stupid, but are consumers stupid in general, that is a ridiclious claim. Of course there are some, but if people were stupid in general, we would not be conversing about this on the interwebs or using electricity we'd be playing this MMO out in the real world and believing in casters and demonogistis for reality instead of fantasy.
We were not talking talking about psychological distoriton - stupidity right? We were talking about the degree and extent to which they use their critical thinking part of the brain when they make a decision. I say, the amount of absolutely silly adv is proportially increasing, the amount of idiotic music bands coming up on mainstream, and so on, and well it leads me to think that majority of customers have no idea what quality is, they just read it in the ADV (in that matter - review) and go for it.
REALITY CHECK
Right.
Many of the elements that most MMO's offer(aside from combat) are either weak, or nonexistent in AoC..
Despite how quickly levelling goes, there are still holes in the content for even 1 toon!
Many of the game mechanics are used poorly, or in a frustrating manner. Ex: the Stygian crafting vendors are mostly accessible by ladders. These ladders require 200 climbing skill to climb. THEY'RE LADDERS!!! How on earth can my toon wipe out baddies by the dozen and yet be such an idiot as to not be skilled enough to climb a ladder?
Inventory is still inadequate. Particularly if you ever want to craft anything, which fortunately, you rarely do.
Funcom needs some perspective. They need to see what other popular MMO's are offering and come to the realization that their game is grossly weak in every other department other than combat. They obviously don't need to copy what these other games are doing, but they have to ask the question, "What does a player do when they're not fighting?". Right now, there's only one answer: quitting.